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How was your weekend? I attended a brunch and for the first time in years, actually baked a dish instead of grabbing something from the store! Oh the wonders of life post grad school!

Naturally, no brunch is complete without a little booze, and while I do enjoy the traditional mimosa, today’s Happy Hour beer, Alltech’s Lexington Brewing Company’s Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale matched up perfectly with the Pumpkin Cream Cheese French Toast Bake I made. (I’ll share the link to that recipe with you guys at the end of this post-if you are interested!)

On the makeup side of things, I continue my trend of being super lazy and buying convenience products with Maybelline’s Baby Skin Instant Cheek Flush Blush.

I think everyone and their mom has already posted their review of Hello Waffle’s February Visage Box, but I finally have mine ready! (My mom did not do a review, though.)

I’ve been playing around with this box for about two weeks now, and I still haven’t been able max it out yet. I’ve got about two more looks I want to do with the products, but I only have one face. UGH. Why won’t Mr. Danger let me put makeup on him?

What I’m saying is it was another good month with Hello Waffle’s Visage box!

I also made it through my first week of classes as a “non-degree seeking student” AKA the person who should probably leave grad school, but is still there. (*I graduated in December, but I’m pursuing additional courses for licensure/certification in my career. Someday I’ll leave. Someday.)

Anyways, Mr. Danger and I are supposed to be celebrating the fact that I passed my certification test/graduated/started new classes tonight, but all I want is macaroni and cheese. I’ll report back on how our adventures go.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy this Happy Hour post, because it’s the weekend, and some of us even have a 3 day weekend! (ME! ME ME ME!!!!) Today I decided to share my current Holy Grail Blush, Hello Waffle’s Junebug, with you guys because it’s affordable, it’s indie, and it makes me think of Spring. In that same dream of sunshine and warmer weather, I’ve also got Harpoon’s The Long Winter ThawWhite IPA. I know it’s a little early to be thinking of Spring, but I am tired of rain and cold where I live!

Oy, I tried to schedule this post for Sunday, but then I forgot what numbers and calendars were, so some of you got a sneak peak yesterday! Sorry for any confusion. Anyways, we’ve got some good stuff to talk about today, so hopefully my understanding of letters and words won’t also fail me!

So, I’ve been avoiding Aromaleigh for awhile now. But for opposite reasons than you might think. I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about this indie makeup company, (one of the originals, she’s been making pretties since 1998!), and every time I’ve perused the website, I’ve started drooling and twitching with joy. However, given that I was also trying to stick to some semblance of a budget, I’ve been trying not to gaze too much for too long. Seriously, just go look at the website. It’s not the kind of place you’re going to be able to order, “just a few things” from. You will want it all.

When I heard Aromaleigh would be offering a subscription, I thought it might be a great way for me to slowly get introduced to her products. Then when I placed my haul-order, I would have some idea of things I liked and didn’t like. Also it was about $18 with shipping, and she has really, pretty shimmery stuff, and when have I ever said no to sparkle?

I was lucky enough to be “multi-tasking” in a meeting when the box went live, and after a pretty intense breaking of the internet, I scored one!

You guys are going to want one, too. I’m just warning you. Check it out below!

Sad news: No Happy Hour post today. Finishing the thesis while having the flu didn’t give me a lot of time for beers and makeup. (In fact, I put on makeup for the first time in a week yesterday and my game was so off. My eyeliner was all over my eyes, for example.)

I promise Happy Hour will be back next week. Maybe with twice the beers as penance?

Happy news? I do have an advent calendar post for you! We have a Glamour Doll Eye’s Blush in Risky Business!

If you’re new to the Indie Advent Calendar Series, check out this post for more info.

I’ve been wanting to share the best cream blushes on a budget for a while now. Really, I meant to write this post a lonnnggggggg time ago. I first thought about it when I reviewed some of the most hyped up drugstore powder blushes. Since then, I’ve been slowly collecting drugstore cream blushes and testing them out, which led me to two conclusions:

1. Many drugstore cream blushes are overpriced. I decided not to buy anything over $10, which ruled out some brands like Revlon and L’Oreal.

2. I’m personally not the biggest fan of cream blush. I’m a powder girl apparently. I guess you never know until you try…7 cream blushes.

Anyways, I did try to keep an open mind about writing this post, because once I set my mind to do something, I stubbornly persist in doing it. (Even when this determination has to do with drugstore cream blushes.)

And many people actually do love cream blushes, so hopefully I can lead you to some cheap ones that may work for you. I also threw in a bonus way to try Benefit’s Posietint!

Although it’s a million degrees outside where I live, I love fall colors. Grad school and work are keeping me super busy so I feel like I need to start preparing my fall stash, or it’s all going to pass me by.

I was particularly inspired by Self Magazine’s Fresh for Fall Trends in their September issue. However, I wasn’t feeling like paying $34 for each makeup item.

And you know how I roll. So here are some of my favorite fall trends, on a budget!

In the beginning, as a makeup newbie, lost and confused, I hit up Pinterest for products I should try. It was a great source for some of my now favorites, but sometimes I felt products got unreasonably hyped up.

Well, fear not. Today we are going to sift through the 5 most hyped up drugstore blush products on Pinterest to find out if they’re really worth it. Plus, I also included a BONUS blush steal . (It’s Friday, I was feeling celebratory!)

Disclosure: I don’t get paid to do any of these reviews. These products are bought with my sad grad school funds and opinions are my own!